1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for use in the smelting of metal-bearing sulfide concentrates or ores. More particularly, it relates to a burner construction wherein an oxygen rich gas and a sulfide concentrate or pulverized ore are mixed and then jetted into a hot atmosphere within a furnace.
2. Prior Art
Pyrometallurgical processes for the smelting of non-ferrous metal-bearing ores or concentrates have been known for many years. One of the most common is the so-called reverberatory furnace process in which heat is generated inside the furnace by means of fuel burners mounted in the end wall of the furnace. In addition to the reverberatory furnace process, various flash smelting processes have been suggested. These processes generally involve the introduction of ore or concentrate in pulverized or granular form along with an oxidizer and, in some cases, fuel. A water-cooled burner designed to introduce ore, fuel and air horizontally over the hearth of a reverberatory furnace is disclosed in Ruthenberg U.S. Pat. No. 720,490. Other fuel/concentrate burners are disclosed in Banes U.S. Pat. No. 1,073,463; Klepinger U.S. Pat. No. 1,164,653; DeBethune U.S. Pat. No. 1,693,916; Freeman U.S. Pat. No. 1,888,164; and Cavanagh U.S. Pat. No. 2,951,756. Worner U.S. Pat. No. 3,326,671 discloses, particularly in FIG. 31, a concentrate burner for use in a direct smelting process, while Elvander et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 3,365,185, disclose a vortex-type burner for a flash smelting process. A concentric concentrate burner for use in a continuous copper converter process is disclosed in Holeczy U.S. Pat. No. 3,459,415. Yannapoulos U.S. Pat. No. 3,674,463 discloses a burner designed to handle recycled matte, concentrate and an oxidizing gas in a flash smelting process for the production of copper. A concentrate burner for the Outokumpu flash smelting process is disclosed in Lilja et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,147,535, while a cupriferrous slurry burner for a direct copper process is shown in Arentzen U.S. Pat. No. 4,148,630. Davies U.S. Pat. No. 4,165,979 discloses a water-cooled tunnel burner for use in the well-known Inco flash smelting process.
In the sprinkle smelting process for smelting sulfide ores or concentrate described in the recent Queneau et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,236,915, roof-mounted burners are provided which form a plurality of paraboloidal suspensions of concentrate, flux and oxygen-rich gas within the hot atmosphere of the furnace.